The passersby hurried along, eager to get home, and no one paid any attention to the pitiful girl.

Suddenly, it started raining. Within two minutes, the drizzle turned into a downpour.

The wind seemed to have died down a bit.

The girl struggled to her feet, cradling her scraped hand, limped home, drenched to the bone.

A piece of wood, blown by the wind, struck a car, and Meng Ci heard someone from the neighboring building cursing.

"Damn it, my new car!"

"Ring ring."

The phone on the sofa rang. Meng Ci, sitting on the couch, answered it and then grabbed the remote to turn on the TV.

"Meng Ci, remember to drive when you come and pick us up," Liu Jie's commanding voice came through the phone.

Meanwhile, Liu Jie also heard some sounds through the phone, seemingly similar to what he had just said.

"Meng Ci, what was that noise just now?"

Meng Ci turned down the TV volume but kept his eyes fixed on Liu Jie, who was frowning on the screen. He replied dismissively, "Nothing, my roommate is watching TV."

Liu Jie didn't suspect anything; in his mind, Meng Ci wouldn't lie to him.

Then he ordered coldly, "Come pick us up quickly."

Meng Ci's voice wavered slightly, "It's raining too hard right now. Let's wait a bit."

"No," Liu Jie exploded, "What time is it? If you don't come pick us up soon, do you want us to starve to death?"

Zhang Lu, who had been watching the drama unfold, quickly took the phone and played the good cop.

She said gently, "Xiao Ci, it's indeed raining heavily. Take your time coming back, don't rush."

"Safety first, safety first."

Zhang Lu and Liu Jie played their roles well, one red and one white. Meng Ci went along with them, saying he would come as soon as possible.

After hanging up, Liu Jie grumbled, "Auntie, why are you being so polite to that guy?"

"Yeah, if he doesn't come soon, I'm going to starve."

Li Xiaoya, always conscious about her figure, ate very little each time and was already hungry.

Earlier, Li Xiaoya had checked the kitchen and found only a few snacks and some stale vegetables.

She would rather go hungry than eat those.

Zhang Lu said, "He was yelled at by you earlier, and now comforted by me. He'll feel embarrassed and speed up."

"Just wait."

On the side, Li Shanyang snorted, "Having him pick us up is natural. If he's late, I'll give him a beating."

All their complaints about Meng Ci were transmitted through the TV to his ears.

But Meng Ci showed no reaction. After all, he had no feelings for these people, and more importantly, he needed to avenge the original Meng Ci.

This surveillance system was installed by Meng Ci with the help of the intermediary, ensuring high-definition footage.

Turning down the sound on the surveillance, Meng Ci drew the curtains and prepared to cook.

He had released their calls from the blacklist, mainly to keep them calm and prevent them from leaving.

Although there was plenty of ready-made food in the space, he tried to reduce cooking to avoid arousing suspicion.

Therefore, whenever he could, Meng Ci preferred to cook himself.

Meng Ci was quite skilled in cooking.

In the real world, Meng Ci had always cooked for himself to save money and buy a house for a stable living place.

Putting rice in the cooker and preparing the ingredients, Meng Ci decided to wait before stir-frying the dishes.

Pulling back the curtains, he noticed the rain pounding against the window.

Meng Ci saw a figure approaching from a distance below.

When the person reached the building, Meng Ci realized it was the man from next door.

Wearing a raincoat and carrying two suitcases, he trudged into the building, stepping unevenly through the puddles.

Drawing the curtains tightly, Meng Ci stopped observing, even though the man's appearance appealed to him.

The disaster had begun, and being a looks-focused person would only harm him.

Cooking a large pot of rice, Meng Ci took out eggplant and green beans from the space to make a dish, and then fetched a pre-cooked fish from the space.

Two dishes plus a bowl of seaweed and egg soup made for a perfect meal.

Just as he finished cooking, there was a knock at the door. Meng Ci had to open it.

Opening the door, he found it was the man who had saved him, his hair still dripping wet, a towel draped over his shoulder, wiping himself.

He held a small bag of flour, a bag of loose rice, two cabbages, several tomatoes, and some peppers.

Meng Ci looked at the man with a puzzled expression.

The man said, "I don't think this rain will stop anytime soon. I figured you might not have prepared any supplies, so I brought some over."

Without hesitation, Meng Ci refused, "Thank you for your kindness."

"But you'll need them too. If the rain doesn't stop, I'll go buy more myself."

If he accepted help now, there was a chance that this person might become a burden later, and it would be hard to get rid of him then.

The man glanced up and down at Meng Ci and said, "With your small frame, you'd probably be blown away by the wind if you went out."

...

Meng Ci was furious inside. He was 178 cm tall and weighed nearly 140 pounds, which was a standard weight.

How could he possibly be blown away by the wind? That was underestimating him!

Meng Ci forced a smile, gritting his teeth, "Thank you for your kindness. How much do I owe you? I'll transfer the money."

The man shook his head, "No need."

"My name is Shen Que. Since we're neighbors, please take care of me in the future."

"My name is Meng Ci. Please take care of me too."

Meng Ci had no choice but to accept the supplies and tried to pay him.

Shen Que declined, "There's no need for money. I smelled food coming from your place."

"How about inviting me for a meal? You did say earlier that you wanted to treat me."

It was all because his cooking was too fragrant, attracting this person's attention.

Meng Ci could only stiffly invite him in.

For some reason, Meng Ci felt like he was letting a wolf into his house.

Fortunately, Meng Ci had already drawn the curtains and turned off the TV.

All the room doors were closed, preventing Shen Que from noticing anything unusual.

Shen Que carried the supplies to the kitchen and saw two dishes and a soup already prepared on the countertop.

Meng Ci said, "Since you're joining me, let me cook one more dish."

"Sure, I'll help you."

Shen Que seemed quite familiar, and Meng Ci didn't know how to handle him.

He could only say, "No need, I can manage on my own."

"I don't know how to cook; maybe I can learn from you," Shen Que said.

Since he insisted, Meng Ci nodded.

Shen Que took some cabbage and made a vinegar-braised cabbage. With three dishes between the two of them, it should be enough.

During the meal, Meng Ci's phone rang several times. He silenced it and placed it face-down on the table.

"Girlfriend?" Shen Que asked. It wasn't surprising he thought so, as the name on the phone was Li Xiaoya.

Meng Ci shook his head, "No."

"She's my half-sister."

Shen Que realized his mistake and quickly apologized.

But Meng Ci didn't mind. After the meal, Shen Que helped wash the dishes before leaving.

Meng Ci locked both doors tightly, then turned on the TV. The angry faces of Li Xiaoya and the others appeared on the screen.

"What does Meng Ci mean by this? Does he not want to come pick us up?"

"Dad, Mom, call him right away."

Liu Jie comforted her gently, "Xiaoya, don't worry. I'll call him, and he'll answer."

Hearing Liu Jie's confident voice, Meng Ci shook his head and turned off his phone.